The latest measure of global food prices indicates another month of decline. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation’s monthly report released this week showed a 1.8 percent decline in April, compared to food prices in May. The FAO Food Price Index, however, is still 10 percent higher than year-ago levels. The Index consists of the average of five commodity group price indices, weighted with the average export shares of each of the groups for 2002-2004. Prices for cereal crops were down 1.2 percent compared to March, and the Vegetable Oil Price Index dropped 3.9 percent. Dairy prices fell 3.3 percent in April, representing the second straight month of decline. Meat prices edged higher in April, up 1.8 percent from March, and the Sugar Price Index dropped 9.1 percent in April, compared to the month prior.

A White House staffer reportedly called an official in Canada last month to ask the nation to persuade President Donald Trump to not terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Multiple media outlets say the call came when Trump was preparing an executive order to end the free trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. White House staff apparently asked for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to call President Trump to persuade him not to terminate NAFTA. The call is one of many steps thought to change Trump’s decision on NAFTA to renegotiate the deal, rather than terminate the agreement. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue also met with the President at the time and presented a map showing the economic harm terminating the deal may have on U.S. agriculture. Perdue, meanwhile, said over the weekend that NAFTA could be renegotiated within the next six months.

Bayer will sell its Liberty and Libertylink-branded seeds business to gain antitrust approval for its acquisition of Monsanto. Reuters reports the divestment of the two global brands, a requirement imposed by South Africa’s Competition Commission on Sunday, will account for the bulk of asset sales worth about $2.5 billion which is needed to satisfy competition regulators looking at the $66 billion Monsanto deal. The planned divestitures are also widely expected to be required by competition regulators in larger jurisdictions, such as the United States and the European Union. Liberty products are recognized as an alternative to Roundup Ready crops. Bayer’s CEO last month said he expects the acquisition to be final by the end of this year.

Mexico and Canada both are eying new trade partners as trade rhetoric and threats from the U.S. are growing trade-related concerns between the three countries. The North American Free Trade Agreement members, Canada and Mexico, are considering non-U.S. markets, including China, to grow their economies in the future. The moves come as President Donald Trump promises a renegotiation of NAFTA, calling it a bad trade agreement for the United States. Metro News of Toronto, Canada, reports officials from Mexico and Canada met last week to discuss trade moving forward with NAFTA renegotiations. The talks of renegotiation are causing a great deal of uncertainty for Canada and Mexico, who are looking to diversify trade to curb the uncertainty. Once the Trump administration gives its official notice to Congress, it triggers 90 days of discussion with industry and lawmakers before it can officially start trade talks.

Leadership of the Senate Agriculture Committee indicated there would be no additional money to spend in the next farm bill while touting the cost savings from the most recent farm bill. During a farm bill field hearing in Michigan over the weekend, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts said: “The reality is we are going to have to do more with less.” Farm groups have said there should be additional resources for the next farm bill and the House Agriculture Committee has said there should be “budget flexibility” to develop the next bill, according to the Hagstrom Report. Roberts noted that “times are tough in farm country,” while mentioning the credit situation and commodity prices, along with overregulation burdens. Despite his sympathy for farmers and ranchers, Roberts said during the hearing that the federal debt totals $19 trillion, adding “we can’t go on like this.” In an opening statement, Ranking Democrat Debbie Stabenow noted that the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the 2014 farm bill will save $80 billion more than expected and that 500 groups have said there should be no additional cuts.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue over the weekend continued his outreach to the Midwest as he completed his second week on the job. The former Georgia Governor met with farmers in Iowa Friday, then toured flooded-out areas of Arkansas over the weekend. Perdue was slated to give his first major farm policy speech in Iowa Friday. But, noting that his staff had written him a 17-page speech, Perdue asked the crowd, “Would you rather have me do that or talk from my heart?” His message was similar to the message he delivered to farmers a week prior in Kansas City, Missouri. He did pledge support for the Renewable Fuel Standard and beef exports. While touring flooded areas of Arkansas on Sunday, the Agriculture Secretary said: “We’ll do everything in our power” to help farmers impacted by the flooding.

With Canada seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 megatons by 2030, the U.S. ethanol industry is eager to help Canada reach the goal. The U.S. Grains Council says the U.S. ethanol industry last month visited Canada to tout U.S. ethanol. The industry also commented on the proposed Canadian Clean Fuel Standard. Canada has an existing national blending mandate of five percent in place and is already an important market for U.S. ethanol exports, thanks in part to the North American Free Trade Agreement. One-third of all U.S. ethanol exports are destined for Canada, making it the top export market for U.S. ethanol for the past four marketing years. Doubling the national blending mandate to 10 percent, as the U.S. ethanol industry is suggesting, however, would provide additional opportunities for U.S. ethanol export sales.

A bill introduced last week in the U.S. Senate would give farm workers a path to legal status and citizenship. California Senators, Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, introduced the legislation last week that would shield farmworkers who are in the country illegally from deportation and create a path to citizenship, according to the L.A. Times. Feinstein says “farm labor is performed almost exclusively by undocumented immigrants,” adding there aren’t enough workers in her state. The bill is also backed by senators from Colorado, Vermont and Hawaii, but there’s been no broad talk in Congress of reforming immigration laws this year. The legislation would allow undocumented farmworkers who have worked in agriculture for at least 100 days in each of the previous two years to earn a “blue card,” which would allow them to work legally. They would eventually be eligible for a green card or legal permanent residency, which opens the door to earning citizenship.